Royal Treatment
by Rikayu-chan
Summary: Based on the Korean manhwa, Goong. Kagome's an ordinary girl, but because of an agreement her grandfather made when she was a baby, she's thrown into a not so ordinary situation. SessKag. ON HIATUS.
1. Black Lacquered Box

**Disclaimer:** I do hereby disclaim any right or responsibilities for the characters used in this story. All rights are reserved for the respective creator of _Inuyasha,_ Rumiko Takahashi.

* * *

**Royal Treatment  
****By Rikayu**

**Chapter One: Black Lacquered Box**

"Kagome! Wait for us!"

Kagome turned her head slightly to see her friends running up to her in a hurry from the corner of her eye. Once they got to her, they took a minute to catch their breath before straightening and thinking of what they were supposed to say. Kagome smiled at them and turned around fully. She tilted her head to the side as she clasped her hands behind her back.

"What is it?" she asked them cheerfully as she idly twirled the end of a lock of her hair behind her back.

"Did you see?" they all said simultaneously.

Kagome raised her eyebrow as she straightened her posture. "Did I see what?"

"Him!"

She rolled her eyes at her impossible friends. "Who's 'him'?"

In the next few seconds that they struggled to get whatever they were going to say, they then decided to show Kagome instead. They grabbed their stumped friend and dragged her all the way to their classroom. They led her one of the windows and pointed to something. Kagome looked out and noticed that there was a rather large group of men dressed in black standing in the courtyard. What her friends had been pointing to, however, were the two boys who were surrounded by the men in black. Kagome had never seen them at their school before, but they were wearing the school uniform, so that meant that they were most likely new. They had unusual silvery hair that was grown long and the men in black were apparently guarding them. Then, as the taller one turned slightly to the side, Kagome's eyes grew slightly bigger as she recognized him.

"Isn't he…?" she turned back to her friends.

"Mikazuki! Mikazuki!" they shook her as their eyes hungrily gaze down into the courtyard.

Kagome glanced back down and looked at the two silver-headed boys in their school courtyard. She had to admit that they were cute, but the taller one's looks were more mature and sophisticated compared to the shorter one's young boyish charm. As she observed them from the classroom window, taller one, the one her friends where drooling over in the other corner of the classroom, turned his head and caught her in his line of sight. Kagome's eyes grew wide as her face reddened. She quickly ducked down and plopped onto the floor to hide herself.

Her friends noticed this and quickly came to her. They dragged her up off the floor and asked her what was the matter, but Kagome shook her head and plastered on a reassuring face to fend off her friends' questions. They backed off and let her regain her balance. Once she did, she smiled at them as they made their way back to their little corner. Kagome glanced back down into the courtyard and saw that the men wearing black were retreating off-campus and that he and the other one were already gone.

She shook her head and mentally slapped herself out of her slight daze. She brushed it off as her imagination and grabbed her bag and ran out of the classroom to catch up with her friends. She figured they must have gone to their next class since the bell was about the ring. As Kagome turned at the corner, she crashed into something solid and fell backwards, landing on her butt and spilling some of the contents of her bag. She frantically picked them up and shoved them into her back as the sound of the bell rang through her ears. She reached for her history book and another person's hand came into view as it reached for the book as well. She looked up and froze as she saw golden eyes.

Kagome stood up with her book and _his_ hand still attached to it. She accepted it from him gratefully before placing it in her bag as well. Without looking up anymore, she bowed and said a thanks and a sorry for bumping into him before hurriedly running passed him, leaving him to stare at her as she disappeared at a corner. Once she was out of sight, she leaned against a wall and sighed with relief. There was just something in his eyes that really made her feel uncomfortable even though she's only seen him twice.

She groaned and heard as the late bell rang. She ran for class and was lucky enough to find that the teacher had not come back yet from her lunch break. Kagome placed her bag down and mentally slapped herself awake. As the class waited for their teacher, Kagome's friends questioned why she was so red, but she ignored them as long as she could, but when they got to her, she told them that she had just slipped on something when she made a run for class.

He stared at her as she turned the corner. He looked down and noticed that she had left a notebook behind in her hurry. He picked it up and read the name written on it, '_Kagome Higurashi…'_ He placed it in bag and silently walked to his next class, the corridor emptying around him.

* * *

Sesshoumaru watched as sakura petal after sakura petal fell just past the shoji screen doors. A cup of tea was set in front of him while his father sat on the other side of the table. Apparently, his father had called him up here to talk about something important but as of yet, they had not said a word to each other since they had seen each other the week prior. His father had brought along a folder and a sealed envelope but had yet to tell him what their purpose in their meeting was.

The silence was broken when Inutaisho's voice cut into the air, "How long has it been since we've had tea together like this?"

"Father, if you called me here only to waste my time--" Sesshoumaru started, but Inutaisho interrupted him.

"Do not make the mistake that I called you here for nothing, son," he said simply as he looked down at his teacup. "I have something important to discuss with you."

Sesshoumaru turned slightly, and watched as his father cut open this sealed envelope in his hands and took out a piece of yellowed paper. His father unfolded it and laid it out in front of him to see. Sesshoumaru turned fully and read the paper. His eyes narrowed as he progressed farther down the document and when he finished, he did not look up, but he merely took hold of his teacup and looked down into the brew inside.

After a long silence, he spoke. "Since when have you known of this?" he said coldly.

Inutaisho sighed as he intertwined his hands and leaned one the table with his elbows. He rested his chin on his hands and closed his eyes. "You do know that you have no choice in this matter, do you not?"

"You cannot force this upon me," he replied calmly.

His father remained silent, but he was stern with his decision. He knew from a great deal of experience that his eldest son would not back down easily. This time, however, Sesshoumaru would not win and Inutaisho would make sure of that. It was for the best that this was his decision for his son.

Inutaisho chuckled and drank the rest of his tea. Then, he switched his gaze to the falling petals of the sakura tree. "As I said before, you have no choice in this matter." With that, Inutaisho pulled out a beautifully decorated black lacquered box. He pointed at it as he gave a stern look to his son. "It's in here and you have to wear it whether or not you want to," he said.

Sesshoumaru's jaw tensed as he glared out at the falling petals. It was apparent that his father's decision could not be swayed. First, his father had betrayed his mother and had married the woman he had an illegitimate child with. And now, his father was going to force him to endure a lifetime of annoyance.

"Sesshoumaru," he heard his father say, "You must understand that this is only for the better. Perhaps someday you shall understand why I did this…"

He heard a shift of clothes and he listened as his father quietly opened the shoji door and walked away into the interior hallway. A frown settled up his face as he lay on his back and he placed his hands behind his head. He stared at the ceiling before briefly closing his eyes. The black lacquered bow sat untouched by him on the table beside the paper his father had shown him.

Inutaisho entered his study and sat himself down in his chair. He leaned back and closed his eyes as a frustrated sigh escaped his lips. He knew his son was even more furious with him now that he had presented such news to him. He would eventually have to learn to deal with it and perhaps accept it. But for now, Inutaisho would do his best not to worsen his already dysfunctional relationship with his son anymore than he already did.

He opened his eyes and immediately picked up the ringing phone in front of him. "Hello," he said somewhat aggravated.

"Oh, I'm sorry… Did I interrupt something important?" a soft voice came.

Inutaisho shook his head mentally and calmed himself down. "No, nothing… What did you call me for?"

"I received you package just now," the female voice replied.

* * *

"I just… I don't know how to tell her…" a middle-aged woman said as she looked at the black lacquered box on her lap.

"You should have been prepared to tell her from the beginning, Sayuri. Wha's done is done. The contract cannot be broken. You know that...," Inutaisho's voice came from the phone.

She sighed deeply and looked out her window, "Yes, I know, butfather was he one who made the decision."

"But he consulted you, did he not? He wanted you to give him that permission to agree to this. He knew it was important that he had your approval.."

"Yes, but…" she paused, "Isn't it a bit early? Why now?"

She listened to him sigh and she looked down at the box again. "It's always been that way. It was the same for myself when I was younger, you remember. It is my duty to honor tradition. I have told you that many times before," he said.

Sayuri muttered a small okay then dropped the phone. She ran her hands over the intricate designs of the box as a myriad of thought invade her mind. Her eyes welled up with tears and one silent tear fell and landed top of her hand. She wrapped her arms around herself as she bent forward and choked out sobs, her tears falling down on the tatami floor and on the crescent moon emblem adorning the lid of the box on her lap.

"Okaa-san?"

She looked up and tried to wipe away the tears, but they refused to stop falling. Her youngest, Souta, stood at the door with a concerned look on his face. He ran over to her and wiped away her tears with the handkerchief she had given him to use.

"Okaa-san, why are you crying?" he asked as he wiped the remaining slivers of moisture off his mother's face.

She shook her head and ran her hand through his hair as she often did. "Nothing really, Souta. I was… just thinking about you father, that's all…"

Souta smiled and shrugged her hand away from his hair. When his did so, he caught sight of the black lacquered box on his mother's lap and looked down at it with much interest. "Okaa-san, what's that?"

Sayuri picked up the box and showed it to him up close. She smiled as she saw her son's expressions change from worry to curiosity to awe. He reached up to try and open the lid, but Sayuri pulled it away before he could touch it and placed it on the table next to her. She smiled at her son and patted his cheek. He smiled and received his handkerchief back.

"Why don't you go find grandpa? I bet he'll need your help," she said.

Souta nodded enthusiastically and ran off to find his grandfather. Sayuri smiled sadly as she saw him turn out of her sight. She gritted her teeth and balled her fists on her lap as she stared at the box. She reached out her hand and lifted the lid to reveal a ring in a pool of velvet cloth. It glinted in the light that shone through the window. Behind it was a folded note intended for the owner of the ring. Sayuri bowed her head and closed her eyes as her body slanted and rested against the wall beside her.

* * *

**TBC…**

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	2. Photograph

**Disclaimer:** I do hereby disclaim any right or responsibilities for the characters used in this story. All rights are reserved for the respective creator of _Inuyasha,_ Rumiko Takahashi.

* * *

**Royal Treatment  
****By Rikayu**

**Chapter Two: Photograph**

Kagome sighed as she stared out of her window. She leaned her head on her hand as she propped up her elbow. Stray locks of hair fell from her shoulder as she switched her gaze from the window to the little book she held in her other hand. Her eyes moved over the words in the book, completely oblivious as her mother leaned against the doorway and watched her.

Her mother silently made her way to Kagome's bed. She sat next to her daughter and curiously peeked at what her daughter was looking at. Kagome looked up at her and smiled and somewhat straightened her slouched posture.

"How was school today, dear?" her mother smiled as Kagome marked her page and placed the book aside.

Kagome leaned back against the wall and stretched her hands forward. She yawned and then looked up at her mother. "Ok… I guess," she shrugged.

Her mother just smiled at her again and motioned for her to turn around. Kagome nodded and turned around, her back to her mother. After a brief moment, she could feel as her mother went through her hair with a brush. Her mother often did this when she was younger and until now, Kagome still let her mother continue on with the habit. Her mother watched as her hand swept through Kagome's hair fluidly. Kagome's hair glistened in the soft orange light of the sunset coming through the window. Guilt seemed to choke her from the inside out, but she kept her composure and continued to brush through Kagome's hair.

"Kagome…" her mother somewhat choked out.

"Mmm…? What?" Kagome mumbled as she stared out the window, somewhat oblivious to her mother's tense touch and unusual tone. At the moment, she was just in a world of her own, trying to relieve the stress she had compiled during her day at school.

* * *

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes as he tried to calm his frustrated nerves. He had, to say the least, left angrily from trying to convince his father for the second time to change his mind. The young prince had locked himself in his room and had just thrown himself on his bed to try and rid his mind of all of his problems, but the new information that was presented by his father stubbornly blinked with neon lights in that dark corner of his mind, annoying the heck out of him. Royalty definitely had its advantages, but sometimes, it just sucked.

He turned his head and glanced at the envelope next to him. His hand slowly slid under it and he lifted it in front of him. His pulled out the small picture inside and carelessly threw the envelope on the side of his bed. The envelope slid off the edge and fell to the floor, but apparently, Sesshoumaru didn't care about it at the moment.

_'So… It's you…'_ The girl, in honesty, wasn't unpleasant to the eyes, and from her picture, she had an air of kindness that played about her eyes, most likely the trait that would attract others to her. But, he did not love this girl and there wasn't any reason for him to. He didn't know her, maybe seen her around school a few times, but he knew nothing of her other that what she looked like.

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes again, letting the picture slip out of his hand and fall to the floor next to the envelope. A sigh escaped his lips and he turned to rest on his side before he opened his eyes slightly, looking at nothing in particular. The girl would be move to the imperial home tomorrow and his father expected him to spend the entire day with her before she started her training of etiquette and the royal ways.

He let out another sigh before pushing himself up from his bed. He walked to his door and grabbed the real sword rested against the wall. He exited his room and headed towards the dojo located behind the main house, an almost nonexistent smirk flashing across his face. He was sure his brother was there, a perfect target to blow off some steam at.

* * *

Sayuri sat alone on her bed, her bedroom door slighty opened to the hall. The morning light shined through the window, but she paid no attention to the beauty of the new day at all. Dread ran up and down her being and she just felt horrible. She hadn't told her daughter of the girl's fiancée. It would have probably made the girl feel worse that she already did.

"Okaa-san…"

Sayuri turned her head and saw Kagome standing in her doorway, dressed in an elaborate juni-hitoe. Kagome's hair was arranged in a traditional hairstyle, a modern flair added in with the way it was organized with small strategically placed curls to frame the girl's face. Sayuri tried to smile as her daughter, dressed just like a princess, approached her. Her eyes cast downwards to her hands, unable to look her daughter in the face any longer.

The bed shifted as Kagome sat down next to her mother. She didn't want to go. But the situation, she figured, was too complex and she just couldn't stop what was to happen.

"Okaa-san… I'm going to go now…" Kagome said quietly, her eyes brimming with tears.

Sayuri placed a hand over her lip as she choked out sobs and turned to her daughter. Tears ran down her cheeks, forcing the tears under Kagome's eyes to fall. "Kagome… I'm so sorry," Sayuri choked out.

Kagome threw her arms around her mother. "Okaa-san, I don't want to go! I don't want to go…"

"I so sorry, Kagome… I feel so helpless. I wish I could help you…" Sayuri pulled back and wiped away her daughter's tears with her thumbs. "You're still too young for this much responsibility…"

"Sayuri-sama…"

Kagome and her mother turned their heads to see one of the maids that had come to collect Kagome standing in the doorway, bent in a bow. She was quite young, probably just a bit older than Kagome, but she was extremely proper in the way she acted and moved. The mother and daughter watched the young woman straighten and step slightly to the side.

"We must take Kagome-sama now. The lord is waiting with his son as we speak," the girl said politely.

Kagome turned to her mother. Her mother nodded with a small smile that seemed to falter slightly. Kagome stood from the bed and slowly walked towards the door. With one last glance back at her mother, she walked out the door. The young woman bowed to her mother on final time and followed Kagome.

Kagome sighed as she stared down at her hands. The sound of the car engine rang through her ears and just closed her eyes in hopes that she wouldn't cry again. She felt the car start to move forward, her eyes still closed. Her mother didn't tell her anything about whom she was to marry and it just tugged at her. It felt so unfair, but she knew it was her duty or whatever her grandfather said to her earlier in the morning. Still whatever it was her grandfather rambled about, it didn't help one bit for her mood.

Kagome's eyes shot open and she turned to see her mother running next to the accelerating car, desperately trying to get one last look at her daughter before she was taken away. Tears started to flow down from Kagome's blue eyes as she placed her hands up against the glass of the limo, calling out frantically to her mother. But, the car moved faster and soon her mother could no longer keep up. Kagome turned and knelt on the seat, looking out through the back window. The slowly dissipating image of her mother stood at the end of the sidewalk, waving to her, tears falling from her eyes. Finally, Kagome collapsed onto the seat, forcing herself to stop crying.

"Kagome-sama…?"

Kagome looked up and saw the young woman from earlier looking at her from the front passenger seat, the privacy window pulled down. She had a reassuring smile that tried to comfort Kagome, and it seemed to remind her of how her mother had soothed her when she was a child.

"Don't worry, Kagome-sama. Sesshoumaru-sama is not a bad person. He is very kind if you get to know him. And I'm sure you'll be able to see your family very soon."

Kagome sighed and looked up again at the young woman, smiling a small thank you before situating herself properly. The woman smiled back and raised the privacy window to leave Kagome to her thoughts. Kagome placed a hand on the window on her right, watching the things they passed by.

_'Sesshoumaru…'_

**TBC…**

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	3. Iridescent Silhouettes of Fairytales: P1

**Disclaimer:** I do hereby disclaim any right or responsibilities for the characters used in this story. All rights are reserved for the respective creator of _Inuyasha,_ Rumiko Takahashi.

* * *

**Royal Treatment  
****By Rikayu**

**Chapter Three: Iridescent Silhouettes of Fairytales: Part One  
**

_Once upon a time there lived a lovely girl. She was ordinary, just like any other girl in her village. She grew up happy with her family, taking care of a shrine and living in the small village she called home. _

_But one day, she was taken away from her family, arranged to marry a prince she knew nothing of from a foreign land. Her family could only stand by and watch as the agreement between her grandfather and theformer king of a foreign land started to come into motion. _

_She soon departed and left the ones she loved with tears in her eyes… _

* * *

A nervous Kagome sat in the backseat of a limo, her slightly shaking hands clutching at the cloth of her juni-hitoe. She watched quietly as the scenery beyond the car window constantly changed with each foot, meter, mile, whatever. Her deep blue eyes flicked to focus on the reflection of herself on the window. A sad smiled crept onto her face.

A beautiful old-style kimono, an elaborate hairstyle, and simple make-up that accentuated the right parts of her face… She looked just like a princess… Funny how she didn't feel like one at all…

The girl rested her chin on her open palm as she sighed. She could feel her heart pound louder and louder with each minute passing by. Maybe she would die of a terrible car accident before she reached her destination, though that was only in her dreams. She doubted that the contract signed by her father would just disappear with a poof or that some sort of fairy godparent would come from fairyland and help her from this predicament.

The question of 'why' hung in her mind with flashing neon lights galore. Why was this happening? Why in the world would anyone choose her to be the bride of a prince? The whole thought was so unrealistic, but here she was, in the most beautiful kimono she's ever seen and in a luxurious limo on her way to meet the man she's supposed to spent the rest of her miserable life with.

Already several times on the trip, Kagome had pinched herself on her cheek. Perhaps this was all some cruel nightmare that she'd wake up from any minute from now. However, as stupid, stupid, STUPID Fate would have it, the pinching method didn't seem to work at all. Alas, the higher power hiding somewhere in the heavens are allowed to toy around with her insignificant life.

Kagome sighed again. If she had been in the mood she was about half an hour ago, she would've cried, but little droplets of saltwater being released from tears glands never really helped changed things like this. Maybe a very, very kind god that did not enjoy the pleasure of tormenting unsuspecting mortals—highly unlikely—and would give anything to help them instead, but certainly not tears…

'_One puddle, two puddle, three puddle… Oh, damn it…' _It had been raining for the passed couple of minutes, but it all it succeeded in doing other than providing healthy nutrients for any living plants along the side of the road was worsening her already gloomy mood.

The movement of the scenery outside slowed somewhat and she turned her head slight to look at whatever she could. A large wall that looked to be fencing a large building entered her line of sight after a few seconds. As a few more seconds passed by, a large ornate gate came into view.

At that moment, Kagome could swear she heard the laughter of gods coming from the sky above as a light drizzle of rain dampened the earth.

* * *

_Once upon a time, in a beautiful kingdom beyond the clouds, there was a handsome young prince. He was strong, intelligent, and honorable. His father was king and he was next in line for the throne. He met a young girl from a land far away and had helped her when she had a dropped her things on the ground. _

_One day, his father had summoned him and the young prince then knew of his betrothed. He knows nothing of her other than what she looks like. _

_A few days later, the young girl whom he had helped arrives at the castle gates, her beauty like a princess'… _

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

Sesshoumaru sat in his private study located in his own wing of the castle. For the passed hour and a half, he had been aching to throw that damned clock hanging innocently on the wall out the window or tear it apart and burn it to cinders. Despite its already inaudible tick, the sound came from the innards of his mind, falling in sync to the moments of the clock's arms.

He sighed mentally with frustration as he impatiently tapped his index finger on the table in front of him. His tea had already gotten cold; he did not really cared for it and didn't even bother to take a sip at all. Instead, he settled for coffee, black with nothing added.

His nerves seemed so much on the edge that he seriously considered stabbing his head just to stop the annoying scramble of billions of brain cells to organize, understand, and take in information in his head. Add to that the fact that he hadn't been able to sleep for the passed couple of nights, he extremely felt like crap, worse that crap maybe… Crap stuck to the bottom of a shoe of some sweaty fat guy who still lives with his overprotective mother who's part of a church group full of grannies in a retirement home that's probably going to be torn down in a few months due to lack of crap government funding because of increase funding for the education of ex-convicts or something around that…

In something that was highly unlike him, Sesshoumaru dropped his forehead on the table with a thud. He closed his eyes and frowned. Perhaps he could go and beat up Inuyasha in a spar session again, but then again, the whelp was probably too much in a sore-loser mood to leave his room without being told by their father.

Then, the frustrated prince threw himself back to lay down on the floor with his hands behind his head. His long silver hair spread like a fan behind him as his white dress shirt wrinkled a bit. His eyes focused on the ceiling, which seemed to be more interesting than anything at the moment.

He was not nervous about meeting his 'fiancée', but he was not excited either. Everyone seemed to be in a frenzy of business in order to prepare for the event, even his half-brother despite the brat's current sour attitude. To Sesshoumaru, all of this was really unnecessary. It wasn't like it was already the wedding and neither did he want it to be the wedding, but all the extravagant preparation just seemed utterly superfluous really.

He recalled walking down the hall when a bunch of maids with overly ornate table clothes, centerpieces, and silverware rushed passed him after their respectful bows. Even the hallways themselves were decked with decorated trim. All sorts of coordinated glamour that was supposed to 'beautify' the already impressive hallway hung from the walls and ceiling and he seriously began to think that maybe it would've been better for him to be born colorblind than have his eyeballs seared from the overload of colors now splayed all over the castle other than his personal wing.

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes and took a deep breath. At least now, it was quiet with only occasional footsteps beyond the door. Besides, no one was allowed to enter into the little world of his wing without his strict permission. Only a few select servants whom he deemed trustworthy could walk down the halls and venture about their business. However, no one, and he meant _no _one at all was allowed to set foot inside his study.

It was bad enough that he was born into a family of royalty. Even though his heritage did have its many advantages, it did have its many disadvantages such as the lack of privacy and adequate time to think. Yet in the midst of all his royal duties, his studies, and everything else that life seemed to throw at him, the prince still manage to find peace… once in a while…

The faint sound of a car horn floated down to his ears and the young prince slowly opened his golden eyes. He pushed himself into a sitting position, a hand running through his hair to get rid of any tangles. He looked down at the untouched cup of tea.

For a moment, he just stared at it. No particular thought; he just stared at it. Then he came to a conclusion…

He never liked this particular type of tea any way…

Without a moment longer, he grabbed the black suit jacket carelessly thrown on the floor next to him. He placed it on its appropriate place on his body and exited the quiet study.

* * *

_Once upon a time, there was a young, lovely, and ordinary girl who was betrothed to a foreign prince. She stood in front of a large gate that was tall and majestic and trimmed with the finest gold. On the other side would be her husband-to-be, who had waited diligently for her arrival._

_As the gates opened, she saw him there, patiently waiting with mysterious eyes. The girl stepped toward and hesitantly took the hand that was stretched out and waiting for hers… _

.o.

Kagome stepped out of the limo, her eyes immediately looking towards the ground. She really didn't want to be here right now. Despite the words of comfort her new personal handmaiden gave her right before they passed the gates.

'_It's a dream. It's a dream. It's a dream. It's a dream. No…! IT HAS TO BE A DREAM, DAMN IT!' _Kagome forced herself to look up as she heard the crunch of gravel under shoes.

The Western Lord, also known as the Mikazuki Emperor stood in front of her with a small welcoming smile on his face. She remembered seeing him only once, discounting newspapers clips and newscasts. He was just like she remembered when he had visited her family's shrine when she was little. His hair was a luminous silver-ish white that shine brightly in the sun and his eyes looked just like freshly minted gold coins. He looked kind, but as Kagome bowed respectfully, she chose not to speak.

Her future 'father-in-law' inclined his head slightly as Kagome straightened, a pleased smile on his face. He welcomed her, but she hadn't much paid attention as her eyes were settled on the person behind him.

From the silver hair and golden eyes, she could tell it was _him _, but unlike his father, _he_ seemed to be so… What was the word? Wild? She averted her eyes as he turned to look at her. Why was he looking at her like that? It seemed that he almost felt sorry for her in his own way of glaring.

Kagome felt a nudge to her elbow and she looked up again. From the corner of her eyes, she saw her handmaiden standing next to her in a deep bow. Kagome followed suit and looked up to see that another silver-haired person had arrived. She mentally sighed as her inner voice of wisdom and nonsense, but mostly stupidity, started to kick in.

_'Powder puff number three!' _This time, Kagome took her time to observe the newcomer since he was obviously not interested in the goings-on.

It was the same. Silver hair and golden eyes, but unlike the other two, he seemed so… intimidating, for lack of a more accurately close word. He seemed to have this coldness in his eyes that almost made her shiver. They were all dressed in suits, but it was he that stood out the most due to his cold indifference. He seemed familiar, not in a way that she had seen him on T.V. or anything, but that she had seen him somewhere recently.

"Higurashi-san, I would like to introduce you to my sons," Kagome flicked her eyes to the lord.

"This is my youngest son, Inuyasha," She watched the emperor point to the shorter one, the one that was right behind him.

Kagome gave a respectful bow and gave him a small greeting and a smile. She had meant to give a happier smile, but the fact that she was about to get married to him only managed to bend the crease to an extremely sad smile. He gave something that sounded like 'feh' in reply as he bowed impatiently.

"And this is Sesshomaru…" she heard their father continue.

Powder puff # 3 turned and stared directly in her eyes, almost as if he was going to eat her alive or probably something that wasn't so cruel but was cruel anyway. She felt like shrinking back, but the girl held her composure and bowed.

" He is my eldest and the one who shall take your hand in marriage…"

With the Mikazuki's last statement, the girl's body froze in mid-bow, her eyes wide as she stared at the ground.

* * *

_Once upon a time, there was a young prince, who's kingdom was shrouded in the clouds and looked upon by the moon. He stood still, looking into the eyes of the woman he would soon take to marry. She looked at him with wide, innocent eyes._

_The wind blew and everything around him and her vanishes as he stretches his hand out to her…_

* * *

To say the least, the Mikazuki prince felt quite sluggish as he made his way across the courtyard to where his father and half-brother stood. He usually didn't accept tardiness much less be tardy himself. However, his current situation was an exception. He needed of every delayed minute he could. As he came closer, his eyes fell on the figure standing across from his father.

Higurashi Kagome. The name had been stuck in his mind since the accursed envelope containing the contract between his father and the girl's father about their impending marriage. It replayed over and over with the accompaniment of a certain annoying voice in his brain. It would every so often jump out and point out the obvious with the one purpose to annoy him of to shove in his face the fact that it was right and he was wrong when it came to prediction of his fate.

_'Dearest Lord Sesshoumaru, crown prince of Japan, here before you stands your bride! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! MARRIED! MARRIED! MARRIED! YOU"RE GOING TO BE MARRIED!' _it was currently saying.

The silver-haired prince narrowed his eyes. If only the voice could manifest itself into an actual person, then he could kill him. No doubt what would come out would be a freakishly demented and outrageous version of himself, but if there was a way to get rid of the ridiculous ranting, well then, there wouldn't really be a problem. He could rid himself of a lifetime of stress and pointless arguments with himself during restless nights.

_'Yes… That would be quite nice…' _he thought with a mental smirk. However, before he could go on and plot the cruelest of plans to get rid of the demented voice of futile reason and freakish happy-go-luckiness, a pair of brilliant blue eyes stared into his.

He blinked once with the same indifferent glare he usually held and stared back as the girl in front of him gave him a rigid bow, obviously tense. She stayed in that position for a couple of seconds, seeming to calm herself down before straightening and giving him a small greeting accompanied by a soft yet sad smile. After, her line of sight lowered to the ground as if to find something more interesting to look at.

Sesshoumaru felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned. His father gave him a stern look before smiling. "I shall leave her with you two now. I must attend to a few errands that have yet to be finished…" his father said before walking passed him.

The courtyard emptied until only he and the girl remained standing facing each other. Rather, she stood in from of him while she stared at an interesting ant or rock on the ground while he stood with his eyes on her. The girl's shoulders were tense and her head was slightly tilted in a way that reminded him of a young child.

He gave a mental sigh as he held his hand out. He watched as she stared at it for a moment. Then she hesitantly placed her hand on his, but unfortunately, that seemed to trigger some sort of trapped laid by the gods who enjoy making lives miserable and rain started to pour down from the sky. Sesshoumaru wasn't too wet, but for the girl, her juni-hitoe flowed down to the floor to drag behind her, so when it started to rain, the bottom started to soak up the water collecting on the ground.

He watched as she shivered even in the multiple robes she wore. The cloth was thin and light and undoubtedly, the water seeped through it. He slipped out of his suit jacket and placed it on her shoulders, causing her to look up at him with questioning eyes, but he ignored her and called for a servant to get her into a fresh set of clothes. The girl's handmaiden came right away and quickly pulled her into a room. Her blue eyes staring into Sesshoumaru's before she was hurriedly pushed into the room.

Sesshoumaru turned and set off into elsewhere in the castle, the annoying voice in his head somewhat muffled by the roar of the rain, but persisting nonetheless. Yes, perhaps he could imagine an exact version of himself with a sword in his head . Then, the voice will have no where to hide…

* * *

**End Note:**The last part kind of died due to the fact my nephew's inane talking distracted me… So, I forgot the thought running through my head… Annoying voices… Grrr…

**Terms:**

**Juni-hitoe** was the style of kimono most frequently worn in the Heian period, I think. It mostly consisted of a yukata tied with a sash on the inside and multiple layers of kimono robes worn unbound over the tied yukata.

**Mikazuki** means 'crescent moon'. Get it? Sesshoumaru in the anime has a crescent moon on his head, but even though Inutaisho doesn't have one, I thought it seemed fitting as a title/last name.

Oh! If you are confused with anything as to who 'him' really is and that last scene where Kagome keeps confusing her hims, please ask me! Oh, and I fixed a few context mistakes concerning Goong Manhwa...

**TBC…**

**PLZ REVIEW**

* * *


	4. Iridescent Silhouettes of Fairytales: P2

**Disclaimer:** I do hereby disclaim any right or responsibilities for the characters used in this story. All rights are reserved for the respective creator of _Inuyasha,_ Rumiko Takahashi.

* * *

**Royal Treatment  
****By Rikayu**

**Chapter Four: Iridescent Silhouettes of Fairytales: Part Two  
**

To ask if her life could get any worse was just to yet again, ask a redundant question…

Kagome Higurashi sat in front of her mirror, an elegant shiro-maku draped around her figure. Her hair was pulled back in the traditional bunkin-takashimada with the tsuno kakushi placed carefully over her hair. Her lips were tinted with a luscious red and her cheeks were given a soft blush to refine her already natural pinkness. Clashing against the vision of beauty that should be, at the moment, the happiest person in the world staring back at her, Kagome frowned, her reflection following suit.

She looked up and saw the reflection of the deep turquoise uchikake she was to wear for the reception. A sigh escaped her lips as she ached not to scratch her face. It wasn't that her skin was so sensitive to the make-up, it was just that they had put way too much of the white foundation on her face that Kagome literally felt like one of those masks they used in Noh theatre was glue onto her face.

Her head felt heavy with all the kanzashi ornaments that were placed in her hair. She was scared to tilt or even move her head for fear of it popping off her neck. Maybe if she had been born as a boy, she wouldn't be in this mess in the first place…

So much for dreaming…

A knock at her door wiped away all of Kagome's random thoughts from her mind and reminded her once more of her 'duty'. She had spent two months in this godforsaken castle learning to be a proper lady in court and all other things that had to do with etiquette. Two months of cranky old women slapping her hand for every tiniest mistake… Two months of absolutely no contact with her fiancée whatsoever…

Well of course, there was the exception of that one time when she locked herself in her room after her etiquette lessons…

Kagome had her head resting on her folded arms as she sat against the wall when a voice had come out of now where. To say the least, she was shocked when she saw _him_ leaning on her windowsill from the outside. He was dressed in his school uniform, the black one that all the boys had to wear.

For the longest moment, Kagome had sat there staring at golden orbs, dumbfounded as he placed a bag of goods like chips and soda from the local grocery down on a table just below the window. He said nothing at all and quietly left to some other part of the castle grounds.

That was the last time she had seen him…

Kagome sighed and sooner than her thoughts could follow, she was already on her way to the Imperial Shrine in the same black limo that had brought her to the castle in the first place. She clutched her fan tightly in her hands and took in a deep breath as she closed her eyes. She could hear her heart beat loudly in her chest to the tune of her life's misery.

_'Well,'_ her mind raced as the car finally pulled in front of a large flight of stone steps, _'Here comes the demented clang of the wedding bells of doom…'_

* * *

The extremely archaic sound of several string instruments resounded over the quiet ceremony as Sesshoumaru stood next to an apparently nervous bride dressed in a silk white uchikake. The Shinto priest in front of them throatily chanted the ritual that would bind the two as husband and wife, but Sesshoumaru couldn't help but block out the horrible noise. Nonetheless, his brain cam with its own fully automated shrill voice of reason and utter uselessness.

The silver-haired prince watch indifferently as the shrine maidens poured the sake that both he and his bride would share to complete the binding ritual. The voice that would often leave him a lone during a time like this so that he suffered from extreme boredom decided to poke at his already agitated brain. It began, as usual, it its overly-optimistic playful sing-song voice.

_'Ninety-nine cups of sake on the wall, ninety-nine cups of sake! You take one down and pass it around! Ninety-eight cups of sake on the wall!'_ it sang.

Sesshoumaru refrained from wincing as he drank the sake that was offered to him. If he were any one else, he'd probably have spewed the sake that was in his mouth towards the still ranting priest standing in front of him. But unlike anyone else, he had been the only one to hear his own voice being manipulated into a demented happy-happy-joy-joy voice and he also happened to have extreme self-control.

He took a glance to his left after the exchange of sake, his golden eyes settling on the girl standing next to him. Her jaw was somewhat rigid; obviously, the girl wanted to get as far away from doing this as possible. But unfortunately for the both of them, it was now impossible to get out now that the ceremony was finished. Divorce, of course, wasn't an option especially since there really wasn't a suffice reason and because he was still under his father's wing.

Sesshoumaru turned around and proceeded to walk with his new 'wife' out the main shrine and down the numerous shrine steps. His eyes flicked over to her for a split second before he walked into a limo and sat down with her next to him. The car pulled out of the parking in front of the shrine steps and headed for the reception. The now married prince crossed his arms and glanced out of the car window as one thought reverberated in his head…

He was MARRIED…

* * *

Uncharacteristic and extremely unlikely to be seen, but it happened. Kagome watched as the silver-haired prince sitting next to her let out a yawn. She was already dressed in her uchikake while he had changed into a sleek black suit. The girl languorously stretched out her arms slightly as she opened her mouth.

YAWN…

"It will be long before we reach the castle…"

Kagome almost choked in the middle of her yawn, but she regained her composure before turning to the man next to her. The silver-haired prince was stretching his mouth in several rather humorous positions. His eyes flicked to hers and immediately, Kagome averted her eyes and looked down at her hand in her lap.

"I suggest you do the same…"

Kagome turned back to him, her eyebrows furrowed slightly with confusion. His hand was lightly pressed against his own jaw, but his gaze was set back forward. Kagome opened her mouth to ask what he meant, but his voice cut through the air with ease.

"It will be a long while until we'll be able to get back. The people expect smiles. The muscles in your jaw will tire," he said quietly.

Kagome felt stupid doing so, but judging by how thick the crowd along the sidewalk was before the marital ceremony began, she knew that her 'husband' wasn't joking about the whole mouth thing.

YAWN…

From the corner of her eyes, she spotted Sesshoumaru as he folded his arms and gave another yawn. A small smile crept onto her face as the car moved forward.

* * *

_Once upon a time, there lived a prince and princess in a land graced with the clouds of heavenly angels… Did they live ever after? Who knows… _

* * *

**End Note: **Pretty fast… But I really wanted to get over with it since I've already got the idea for the next chapter…

**TERMS:**

**Shiro-maku** is the white kimono worn by a bride during the traditional Shinto wedding ceremony.

**Bunkin-takashimada** is the traditional hairstyle worn by the bride during the wedding ceremony.

**Tsuno-kakushi** is the white hood worn over or around the hair of a bride during the wedding ceremony. It is supposed to hide the bride's 'horns' to show her obedience to her husband.

**Uchikake** is the wedding kimono of a Japanese bride. A white one is worn during the wedding ceremony and a brightly colored one is worn during the wedding reception.

**Kanzashi** are the ornaments worn by a bride in the traditional Japanese wedding ceremony. i

**TBC…**

**PLZ REVIEW**


	5. Awkward Honeymoon

**Disclaimer: **I do hereby disclaim any right or responsibilities for the characters used in this story. All rights are reserved for the respective creator of Inuyasha, Rumiko Takahashi.

* * *

**Royal Treatment  
****Chapter Five: Awkward Honeymoon**

The door slammed open as a short, old man rushed through, panicking more than just a bit. Inuyasha turned around slightly from his comfortable spot on the floor, a bored expression on his face. He watched as the old man bowed quickly and walked up to stand next to him.

"Inuyasha-sama! What in the world are you still doing here! Why aren't you at the ceremony!" the old man practically screamed at the silver-haired prince.

Inuyasha winced slightly before leaning back on his hands, his golden eyes drifting back to the images playing on the TV in front of him. He yawned languorously before shifting slightly on the pillow he sat on. Then he pointed at an untouched pile of neatly folded clothes on a nearby table. It was the elaborate outfit he was supposed to wear to the ceremony…

"D'you seriously think I'd wear that crap?" Inuyasha scoffed after another yawn.

The old man stomped his foot on the ground and balled his fists. "Inuyasha-sama, it is your brother's wedding! You have to be at the ceremony!"

"If you hadn't noticed, Myouga, it's my _half-brother's _wedding. He and I aren't exactly what you call close-knit or has you brain seriously gone haywire with your old age?" Inuyasha corrected his sarcastically.

Myouga rolled his eyes and smacked the youth upside the head with a folded fan that was tucked into his haori. He had raised the boy since he was a kid and not one bit had he matured!

"Ow!" Inuyasha yelled out as his hands gripped the back of his head, "What was that for, ya old fart!"

Myouga smacked him again. "Inuyasha! You're father is going to be very angry!"

"So! I'm not scared of him!"

"That's not what I'm talking about!"

The old man started pacing across the room, fiddling with the fan nervously in his hands. Then, he turned back to Inuyasha and pointed the tip of the fan at himself. "He's going to be angry with _me_! Do you know how scary your father can be when he's angry! I've watched him grow up from when he was a child, but even I'm afraid of his wrath!"

Inuyasha sighed and glanced at the clothes on the table briefly. Then with a small smile, he turned to Myouga, whose eye lit up from his master's supposed change in mind. But, the words that came out of Inuyasha's mouth didn't exactly hold up Myouga's expectations. "I'm still not going…"

The teenager plopped down on the floor to rest on his back, his arms cradling the back of his head. Myouga's veins popped out from the middle of his forehead and he stomped forward with the 'Fan of Justice' in his hand. He smacked Inuyasha again and proceeded to drag the youth out of the room to at least get to the reception on time.

* * *

Sesshoumaru sat at the gloriously decorated dais, perfect in everyway imaginable. He was handsome, smart, and very cunning. Only problem was, he was extremely bored and the annoying voice that plague him had returned…

_'La-di-da-di-DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!'_

The silver-haired prince held back a wince of annoyance as another acquaintance of his father's walked up to him. As routine, the said acquaintance would walk up with a plastered smile. He or she would bow respectfully just as with other celebrations where they seemed to meet. The acquaintance would then start by congratulating him with his latest achievement, in this case, his marriage. After, the acquaintance would jabber on about the weather or something of utter unimportance. Then the acquaintance would bow again and return to his or her seat. Thankfully, his father stood up at last from his chair and announced that the reception was now over and that they appreciated their attendance.

Sesshoumaru turned and looked at the young woman sitting next to him. He heard her sigh and watched as she tucked her fan into the silk obi fastened around her waist. Her hair was now pulled down and was styled into curls that fell to her mid-back. Her kimono was a deep turquoise, golden carp swimming at the bottom and white stork flying around the top. But she wore the ghost melancholy expression on her face, her smile acting only as a cover-up.

He stood with Kagome following close behind him. A servant led them through a bac entrance as guest filtered out of the large reception hall and finally brought them to a black limo waiting in a back alley. Sesshoumaru entered the limo and massaged the back of his neck with his right hand. He gave Kagome a glance as she sighed and looked out the window, the car moving forward.

He looked away and through his own window. The limo pulled into the street with hundreds and hundreds of people lining the sidewalks. Slowly a throb started to attack Sesshoumaru's temples and a frown appeared on his face as he leaned back in his seat.

It was about time that he took an aspirin.

* * *

Kagome's personal maid watched with amusement as the newly wed teenagers sat down next to each other on an unusually small sofa, sleeping. The prince sat on the right, he head leaning on his arm, his eyes closed and strands of his hair falling in front of his face. Her mistress sat next to the left, her head resting on folded hands on the arm of the sofa, her hair tucked back behind her ear.

Both had just come back from their tiring day and donned ordinary clothes. Too bad she had to wake them up now for the second part of their day. In truth, she really didn't want to since they looked so cute together like that. But since they were on a schedule, she had no choice.

She was about to go to wake the two up when the silver-haired prince blinked his eyes opened and ran his hand through is hair. He looked behind him with a neutral expression to see Kagome sleeping soundly beside him. He brought his hand to his temple to massage it for a moment before standing up. Without saying anything, he walked out the room, leaving Kagome with Hotaru and the other maid.

The two maids bowed respectfully as Sesshoumaru passed them and watched as he disappeared down the hall, presumably to his room. When he was out of sight, Hotaru walked over to Kagome and shook her shoulder softly. "Kagome-sama? You must wake up now…"

Kagome groaned and shifted before forcing her eyes open. She blinked away the sleep still wandering around her head before looking up at Hotaru. She sat up straight for a moment before leaning back against the backrest of the sofa.

"Umm… Yes? What is it?" Kagome asked, rubbing at one eyes like a little child.

"Kagome-sama, the lord has instructed us to dress you for the next ceremony. Please follow me," Hotaru answered simply.

Kagome groaned and buried her face into her hands for a brief moment. She took in a deep breath and pushed herself up to stand. She scratched the back of her head and followed Hotaru out the room, leaving the other maid to attend to other businesses elsewhere in the castle.

Kagome was led to another room where yet another kimono was laid out for her to wear. She sighed as her maid handed her the white kimono undergarment and she waslked behind the folding screen to change into it. After she came out, she held her arms out to her sides and waited as Hotaru placed a soft pink kimono on her. Hotaru didn't adjust it but merely tied it with a small rope the way it was. Next, she placed another kimono on Kagome, a tealeaf green, and tied it the same as the previous one before securing it with a thin red sash that was tied to the side. Then, Hotaru grabbed two more kimono robes and dressed them on Kagome. The first one was thin and with a simple pattern of wispy cream-colored circles on pale red silk. The second one was slightly thicker and was a pale shade of golden yellow decorated with brown and rust colored fans and was lined with the same red at the sash. She left these untied.

Hotaru motioned for Kagome to sit down at a small vanity and sat behind her. She tied Kagome's hair in a simple knot and placed a black comb with golden blossoms to at the finishing touch. She told Kagome to stand and took one last round to check for any wrinkles or imperfection here and there.

With a clap of her hand, Hotaru stood in front of Kagome, proud with her finished job. "Sesshoumaru-sama is lucky to have such a beautiful woman as his bride, don't you think, Kagome-sama?"

Kagome blushed and looked at herself in the long mirror leaning against a wall. "I think the kimono is more beautiful than I am, Hotaru. Oh, and please, you don't have to be so formal around me. Just call me Kagome."

Hotaru tilted her head and looked at Kagome with her eyebrow slightly raised. "Why, Kagome-sama?"

"Well, I don't feel there's a need to treat me like I'm special or anything. I wasn't raised as royalty and I certainly don't feel like I'm royalty."

"No, not that. Why don't you think Sesshoumaru-sama will find you beautiful?" Hotaru corrected, tilting her head the other way as she scanned Kagome's kimono.

Kagome furrowed her eyebrows as Hotaru came forward to tug the kimono here and there to get rid of the small invisible imperfections in the silk. "But I never said anything--"

"There now, all finished!" Hotaru gave quite glance to her watch before grabbing Kagome's hand. "Hurry! WE don't want to make him wait!" She literally dragged Kagome out of the room and rushed down the hall. After a few turns, they finally reached a set of shoji doors.

Hotaru slid the door open and motioned for Kagome to step inside. Kagome did so and Hotaru slid the door behind them. Hotaru stepped aside and an old woman bowed respectfully to Kagome.

"It is nice to see you again, Kagome-sama," the old woman greeted.

Kagome smiled as she recognized the woman. She was one of the elderly women who had trained her in court etiquette for the last two months. But unlike the other cranky old ladies who smacked her hand for any mistakes they saw, Kaede was actually nice to her and merely explained to her what she had done wrong, politely asking her to try it again.

"It's nice to see you too, Kaede," she greeted back.

The old woman smiled warmly and turned around, walking towards a wall of semi-shear fabric screens. She held back on of the screens and motioned for Kagome to come closer. Kaede urged Kagome through and instructed her to go through another set of doors and sit at the table inside.

Kagome nodded and slid open the nest set of shoji door quietly. She peeked inside to see that Sesshoumaru was already there. But, he didn't even seem to notice that she was there. Instead, his eyes were pointed towards a nearby window that showed the night sky. A small green tea pot and a single teacup sat on the table the silver-haired prince sat at.

She just stood there, hesitant, if not nervous to sit down across from her 'husband'. He hadn't seen him in the span of two months before their wedding, excluding the one occasion, and she'd barely heard him speak. He hadn't said anything when he left food for her at her window, and he spoke only when necessary at the wedding.

"Do you intend to gawk all night?"

Kagome blushed and frowned slightly. She silently sat herself across from him, refraining from glaring at him with all her might. Instead, she distracted herself with watching Hotaru pour tea for her.

Kagome took her cup and sipped a small amount of tea into her mouth and swallowed. She placed the cup back down and watched as Kaede bowed to them. The old woman wiped her hands on her kimono sleeves and cleared her throat.

Sesshoumaru turn his head slightly, to take notice of Kaede, a slightly, if not indifferent, bored expression on his face. He also looked a tad bit irritated at something.

"As you know, you two were brought together as tradition would have it. Also with tradition is the ceremony after marriage… your first night as a married couple," Kaede started.

Kagome blushed and realized what the old woman meant by her statement. Certainly, Kaede could be implying to… _'No… Please, no… Are you SERIOUS! To… To… To… With HIM!'_

The girl glanced at Sesshoumaru to find him staring passively into his tea. However, his eyes shot up to look at her, causing her to avert her eyes abruptly. Kagome could feel his eyes on her and she tried as hard as she could to ignore the awkwardness she felt.

"But…" she heard Kaede continue, "You two aren't of legal age yet, so instead, you shall just dine in each other's presence."

"So… It's come to breaking tradition then…?" came a smooth voice from the silvery haired prince.

Kaede furrowed her eyebrows and Kagome turned to Sesshoumaru.

"Why not keep tradition? Is that not what you wanted in the first place? Is that not why this marriage had taken place?" Sesshoumaru said, narrowing his eyes slightly as a half-smirk appeared on his lips.

"Why break tradition when you wanted to keep it?" he glanced at Kagome, who blushed with her eyes wide with utter disbelief.

Kagome sat with her mouth agape, horror running through her mind. _'No… He's not serious, is he!' _Kagome's head swirled as she clenched her tense jaw. She had been taking another sip of her tea when she had heard his words and almost choked, nearly spitting out the liquid. She gulped hard, taken aback by the prince's intense eyes that were boring into hers. _'Please, no-no-no-no-no-no-NO!'_

Sesshoumaru turned back to Kaede. "So, why not?" he asked.

The old woman didn't bother to answer him, but placed her hand on her forehead. She closed her eyes and sighed. Hotaru stood behind her, frozen in disbelief as she stiffly held a tray of food. Kagome, on the other hand, seemed as though she was about to faint, a hand on the table to support her. Her face was blanched as she stared wide-eyed at Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru deepened his smirk as he turned away. He looked out the window again and brought his teacup to his lips to drink his tea, acting as if nothing had happened at all.

Kagome's face quickly turned into a bright red as she looked down at her clenched fists on her lap. Kaede sighed and shook her head. Perhaps this was going to be harder than she thought…

She ushered in a few servants with trays of food and watched as the newlyweds dined in an uncomfortable silence. The tension was thick in the air and by the way Kagome's eye flickered every now and then, Kaede could tell that the young woman really, really did not want to be there.

After the dinner was done, Sesshoumaru had retreated into some other part of the palace and Kaede and Hotaru were left to escort Kagome to her bedroom. Once they got to her room, Kagome slid behind a screen to change into a simple sleeping kimono. Kaede sat her down in front of a mirror while Hotaru started to brush Kagome's hair.

"Please excuse Sesshoumaru-sama, Kagome…" Kaede said as she folded a few kimonos and placed them in Kagome's closet, "He is just… upset over the circumstances under which you two were married…"

"Yes!" Hotaru cut in, "He's actually really nice!"

A small frown settled on Kagome's mouth and looked at Hotaru and Kaede through her mirror. _'Well right now, he's looking very much like a jerk…' _

Kagome tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear and looked at the folded hands on her lap. She was going to have to go back to school tomorrow and now, the whole world knows that she's the Mikazuki prince's wife. What would everyone at school think? Add to that, what would her friends say?

She sighed and turned to look out her open window. The stars were beautiful, but Kagome wasn't really in much a mood to smile since the moon was hiding from behind a few clouds.

* * *

**End Note: **I don't particularly like this chapter. It was too rushed and well… I thought it was stupid… Sesshoumaru was TOO weird and the chapter just kind fell apart after they left the reception…

**TBC…**

**PLZ REVIEW**


	6. Tires and a Wedding Ring

**Disclaimer:** I do hereby disclaim any right or responsibilities for the characters used in this story. All rights are reserved for the respective creator of _Inuyasha,_ Rumiko Takahashi.

* * *

**Royal Treatment  
****By Rikayu**

**Chapter Six: Tires and a Wedding Ring  
**

"How dare you!"

Kagome stood from her chair and banged her palms on the table as she glared at the silver-haired prince sitting across from her. A triumphant smirk was plastered onto his lips and it was driving her insane with anger.

"What is it now? Not satisfied enough as it is? " Sesshoumaru stood from his chair and walked over to a window, looking out into the garden. "You have all there is to be wanted by one like you…" He turned and played another smirk about his lips, "It seems you're just like all the others… Another selfish little fangirl who's after the fame of being a princess and access to my money…"

Kagome narrowed her eyes in rage as she clenched her hands until her knuckles turned white. Her nails dug into the skin of her palms and the pain seemed to be the only thing holding her back from squeezing any harder. Her shoulders were shaking and she fought with herself from pouncing on him and tearing his hair out.

"How dare you…" She said, her voice low as she brought her eyes down to look at the grounds.

"How dare you… I don't care who you are. You don't know anything at all. You don't know anything about me. Just because you're a royal doesn't give you the right to label me or anyone else for that matter!

"Do you honestly think I want all of this! Do you really think I want to throw away my life, my plans, my dreams just to follow around an arrogant, spoiled, royal brat who has a goddamn stick stuck up his ass!"

Kagome looked up, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. She glowered at Sesshoumaru, grabbed the silver band on her finger, and threw it at him. "Here! I never wanted this, any of this! And I hope that you and you're sorry ass go to HELL!"

She flicked her middle finger at him and angrily stomped out of the room, knocking over her chair in the process. Kagome ran into her room and slammed her door shut. The loud thud echoed in the hallways, causing many of the palace attendants to freeze, especially after all the shouting they'd heard.

Sesshoumaru sighed and let his lips slide into a frown. He tilted his head and looked down as the ring she'd thrown at his glinted in the morning light. He bent down and picked it up, watching it shine innocently in the middle of his palm.

_'Good going princey…'_

'_Shut up…' _

* * *

"Kagome-sama! Please wait! You mustn't!"

"Just let me go!"

Kagome shrugged off Hotaru's hand and slipped on a simple black jacket. She had changed out of her palace attire in favor for jeans and white t-shirt, that way, she wouldn't attract so much attention when she went outside. Once she reached the gates, she walked right passed the guards, who were, at the moment, distracted by a van that was supposed to make a delivery of fresh vegetables into the palace. After a moment of running, Kagome turned around to look at the Imperial Palace. A frown graced her face as her gaze lowered to the ground.

She knew it was irresponsible and immature to run away like this especially since it was only about a week and a half since her marriage to Sesshoumaru, but after he had insulted her that way, she couldn't take it. She had entered that room earlier that morning, hoping to at least be on friendly terms with her so-called husband. She attempted to talk to him in order to get to know just a little bit about him so that she would have such a hard time being around him.

Kagome had wanted to see her family, just to see how they were doing. But Sesshoumaru stated that she couldn't and that doing so would have been a waste of his time. It seemed that family was a touchy subject for the prince, but Kagome kept pressing. On thing led to another until everything suddenly went out of control.

Kagome quickly turned away and continued walking. Whether or not it was her fault didn't really matter to her at the moment. Sesshoumaru had no right to insult her in such a way. With a determined look on her face, she marched into town to get as far away as possible from him.

* * *

"Man, what a drag…"

Inuyasha kicked the flat tire of his car and looked over at his driver. The man was busy frantically searching for the jack, but it seemed that it was missing. However, he was a determined on and was pressed on searching every inch of the car until he found it.

A steady pillar of smoke from the engine and the driver cursed as he hurriedly pulled out of the car, bumping his head on the car ceiling in the process. He lifted the hood and cursed again as he ran and opened the trunk for the canister of water that was supposed to be there but wasn't. It seemed that the gods were enjoying playing a nasty trick on the poor driver.

Inuyasha snickered and slipped away into the surrounding park. A flat tire and an overheated engine didn't seem to damper his mood since he had nothing to do back at the stuffy mansion. Her certainly didn't want to be Sesshoumaru's practice partner again and he really wasn't in the mood for a lecture from Myouga about whatever there was to lecture about. Besides, it was a perfect day for a walk. The sun was out and the park was unusually void of people.

"Hn?"

The young prince turned and spotted something, or rather, someone just beyond the trees coming his way. A smirk appeared on his lips as he recognized the cursing voice that was coming closer.

"I never want to his pompous face ever--"

"Who's face?"

Kagome looked up and froze. After a brief moment, she stepped back to turn around and leave when Inuyasha called out to her to stop. "Hey! Where do you think you're going?" he said.

She spun around and glared at him. "Leave me alone! I'm not going back there!"

Inuyasha furrowed his eyebrows and gave he a somewhat confused expression. "What the hell are you talking about?"

She narrowed her eyes at him and held her fist at her sides. "I know Sesshoumaru sent you here to bring me back. I don't care what you say. I'm not going back!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait a minute!" the silver haired prince said, waving his hands in front of him as he shook his head. "I'm only here because my car broke down. My driver's right over there trying to fix it."

Kagome turned her head and saw a man dressed in a suit yelling on his cell phone and glaring at a black car that had a smoking engine and what looked like a flat tire. It was, to say the least, hysterical. The man was angrily closed his phone and proceeded to kick at a good tire that, unfortunately, flattened in the midst of his fourth kick.

"Yeah, I know. The guy's a total moron at car maintenance and repair but he's not that stupid," Kagome turned her head to look at Inuyasha who was looking at his driver and scratching the back of his head.

"So…" he started as he turned, "What the hell happened that's got you so riled up? Knowing Sesshoumaru like I do, I'm guessing he said something and you walked out… didn't you?

Kagome frown and furrowed her eyebrows as she crossed her arms and looked away. All she wanted to do right now was to get away, or if she could, punch Sesshoumaru square in the face.

"Feh… It's not surprising that you don't like him. Only a fool would ignore the fact that the guy's made of ice," Inuyasha stated as kicked a random rock.

"Look! It's not like I wanted to marry him!"

Inuyasha was about to answer until something else caught his attention. He turned and watched as another black car approached them. From the corner of his eye, he could see Kagome stiffen as she bit her lip.

The car stopped in front of them and Inuyasha gave an awkward smirk as one of the back doors opened to reveal Sesshoumaru. Immediately, he saw his half-brother's cold eyes navigate to the girl next to him then back at him. The older prince stepped forward towards the two, his gaze hardening as he somewhat glared at Inuyasha.

"You've actually proved yourself useful for once, Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru said flatly.

Inuyasha growled and glared back at Sesshoumaru, who now turned his gaze to Kagome. "What do you mean, 'for once', ya bastard!"

Sesshoumaru ignored Inuyasha and walked closer to Kagome and grabbed her by the arm. She tried to snatch her arm away, but he tightened his grip and started to walk her to the car. He pushed hard enough to fall into the car, but light enough not to hurt her. He closed the door and walked towards Inuyasha.

Inside the car, Kagome frantically pulled on the door. _'Damn it! That bastard put it on child lock!' _She tried it on the other door, but it was in vain. Both doors were locked and most likely, he had instructed the driver to put the windows on window lock too. She pounded her fists briefly on the windows before resigning herself to the far side of the backseat.

Inuyasha watched as Kagome tried to get out of the car, but to no avail. He turned to Sesshoumaru who had a dead serious look in his eye. The younger prince gave a 'feh' and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I don't think she like you very much. If I were you, try being a bit nicer to her," Inuyasha said, glancing at Kagome briefly.

"It would be wise for you to stay out of our business, Inuyasha." Sesshoumaru said indifferently, his warning clear in the way his eyes spoke.

"Tch… Like I care what happens to you two. I'm out of here…" Inuyasha turned and headed for his car. The driver, who had gotten a jack, a water canister, and an extra spare tire from Sesshoumaru's driver, was now busy at work.

With one last glare at Inuyasha's back, Sesshoumaru turned and stepped into the back passenger seat of the car behind him, mindful to turn off the child lock switch before closing the door. As the car drove out of the park and into the main road, the silver-haired prince turned to look at Kagome, who was looking out the window with a frown on her face. Apparently, she was still mad at him.

"You may visit you family…"

Kagome's eyebrows furrowed as she turned hesitantly to look at Sesshoumaru. He was looking out the window, his elbow propped on the door handle as he leaned his cheek on his hand. "What?"

"You may visit you family… This coming weekend if that shall suffice."

Kagome looked down at her hands, a frown on her face. Yes, she wanted to see her family, but he acted as if nothing had happened at all. She bit her lip and nodded before looking out the window. However, she was broken out of her reverie when warmth wrapped around her left hand. She turned and watched Sesshoumaru brought her hand closer to him.

_i 'What is he doing... ' _Kagome tried to pull back her hand but Sesshoumaru's grip was firm. He wouldn't let her go and it was making her nervous.

However, her nervousness soon filtered into confusion as she watched Sesshoumaru pull out the ring she had thrown at him earlier in her anger. He merely slipped it back on its place on her ring finger. After making brief contact with Kagome's eyes, he relinquished his hold on her hand and turned back to the window.

Kagome pulled her hand back and stared at her ring. _'My ring… He gave it back… I seriously don't get this guy…' _

**End Note: **I went pretty fast with this chapter and just to make sure you guys know, my story doesn't exactly follow everything that happens in Goong or Princess Hours, nor does the story necessarily follows it in the right order. Oh and… MOCHI!

**TBC…**

**PLZ REVIEW**

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	7. Pancakes and Spilled Milk

Disclaimer: I do hereby disclaim any right or responsibilities for the characters used in this story. All rights are reserved for the respective creator of _Inuyasha,_ Rumiko Takahashi.

* * *

**Royal Treatment  
****By Rikayu**

**Chapter Seven: Pancakes and Spilled Milk  
**

It was too quiet. Save for the subtle sound of bowls and cups being placed back on the table, yes, it was definitely too quiet.

Awkward wasn't quite enough to explain his current situation, but that wasn't really surprising. The crown prince of Japan and heir to the Crescent Moon throne, Mikazuki Sesshoumaru felt out of place sitting down at the Higurashi dinner table and eating oden with his wife's family.

Since he and Kagome had arrived a few hours ago, the Higurashi family, if a little apprehensive, willingly offered him warm hospitality and readily welcomed him into the family. Sesshoumaru found the Higurashi family amusing, though Kagome's younger brother a tad bit annoying once the boy managed to gather enough courage to ask questions. However, everything turned strangely silent once everyone sat down at the dinner table.

As the prince poked at the pickled radishes lying on a small dish next to his tea, he thought back to earlier that morning. It seemed that his father had re-organized all his plans from a weekend visit to a month-length stay.

It took all Sesshoumaru's might not to twitch in annoyance at the dinner table as he remembered the talk. His father sat in his office chair with an innocent half-smile Sesshoumaru knew never to trust and simply stated that that opportunity would give Sesshoumaru a nice lesson about how the palace-life was very much different from civilian life.

"Sesshoumaru-san? Is everything all right?"

He blinked and turned to look across the table. Kagome's mother looked at him, her head slightly tilted and a bit of concern on her face. He watched her eyes lower to his bowl.

"You haven't really eaten much of your food…"

Sesshoumaru turned his head in a kind of headshake. "My apologies," he began politely, "I was just thinking."

The woman smiled. "Well, if there's anything you want, just ask, okay? You're part of our family now."

He inclined his head and lifted a few noodles to his lips with his chopsticks. It wasn't nearly as good as palace food, but Ms. Higurashi was an excellent cook. The saying about a good home cooking seemed true. There was only one problem…

"You're cooking is quite superb, mother-in-law. However, it is a bit saltier than my tastes…"

A deafening pause…

Did he say something wrong? After all, he was only being honest…

"Gomen, but you see Kagome prefers in a bit saltier and we've all gotten used to it. I'll keep that in mind next time, Sesshoumaru-san."

A sense of relief rolled through his limbs. During the silence, Sesshoumaru felt Kagome stiffen beside him. It was fortunate that Kagome's mother did not have her temper.

After dinner, the whole party retreated to the living room where Kagome's younger brother immediately switched on the television. As the little boy immersed himself in a show Sesshoumaru recognized to be a favorite of Inuyasha's as a kid, Kagome's mother laid out some tea and rice crackers on the coffee table.

Kagome sat next to him on the floor while her mother sat to the right of Kagome's grandfather, who sat at the head of the table. She was fiddling with her fingers as she wrapped her hands around her teacup.

"Well, I'm afraid we don't have an extra guestroom to offer, so why don't you go ahead and take my bedroom," Ms. Higurashi offered as she poured more tea into Sesshoumaru's cup.

"He can have my room, okaa-san! I don't mind sleeping on the sofa!" Kagome's brother said as he waved his hand in the air while his eyes were still glued to the television.

"No, Souta. You won't get enough sleep on the couch especially when you have to go to school. Let him take my room," Kagome's grandfather said before taking a sip of his tea.

Sesshoumaru shook his head slightly. "Nonsense. I don't think it is appropriate of me to take the bedroom of the head of the house and Kagome has stated to me before of your back problems. Neither do I think I should take your bedroom, mother-in-law. It would be in appropriate to take a lady's room from her. Seeing as sleep is important for focus in the classroom, I don't think it'd be wise of me to take Souta's room either."

Everyone paused for a second. Ms. Higurashi crossed her arms.

"Ano, we won't be very good hosts if we made you sleep on the couch…" she said as she stared at her tea.

Sesshoumaru let a small smirk on his face. "Kagome and I can share a room. After all, we i _are /i _married."

An audible choke resounded from both Kagome and her grandfather and hey hastily placed their cups down on the coffee table. Kagome's mother froze in her place while Souta sat in front of the TV oblivious.

Kagome looked up at him as if he were crazy and then turned back to her mother and grandfather. "I… uh… umm…"

* * *

Kagome quietly slid into her bedroom, tugging at the shirt of her pink pajamas. Her eyes immediately glared at the figure standing away from her next to her bed. Despite her hate for him at the moment, she was a bit surprised to see him look like a normal person.

His long silver hair was tied back in a loose horsetail while he wore a plain white tank top and a pair of black drawstring cotton pants. Kagome watched as he slipped into her bed and sat up against her headboard. He opened the book in his hand but turned his head to look at her with an elegantly raised eyebrow.

"Is there something you want?" he asked plainly.

Kagome puffed her cheeks and stomped forward, walking to the other side of the bed and grabbing a pillow into her arms. She then walked over to the bedside table next to Sesshoumaru and grabbed a magazine from the drawer. But before she could get away, Sesshoumaru's hand shot out and grabbed her wrist.

"Let go," she said, trying to shake his grip but to no avail.

"Where are you going?" he asked as he read his book, not even turning to look up at her.

"What does it look like?" she said as she rolled her eyes and turned to leave. "I'm going to go and sleep on the living room sofa."

Suddenly, Kagome felt a sharp tug on her arm and she toppled backwards to sit on the edge of the bed. She turned her head and glared at Sesshoumaru, who had apparently caused her to drop her pillow on the floor.

"You'll sleep here," he said, his eyes never leaving the book in his hand.

"No!"

Sesshoumaru looked up and closed his book. "It's improper to take a lady's room. Besides, if we are married, you should get used to sleeping next to me in the same bed."

Kagome mentally cringed and she tried again to get her arm back. "I don't care! Let go of me!"

"We can stay here, do this all night and wait for your arm to fall off, or you can lie down and go to sleep."

Kagome stood up defiantly only for her arm to be pulled down again quite painfully. "Stubborn. You know there's enough room for the both of us. I do not think your family would find me carrying you kicking and screaming back to this room any form of pleasant," she heard him say.

With a forced sigh, Kagome grabbed her pillow off the ground and threw the magazine back into the drawer. She swiped back her hand from him and angrily slipped into bed next to Sesshoumaru. She turned her back from him and laid her head on her pillow. She felt the bed shift and watched as the light reflecting on the wall dim. She scooted to the far side of the bed and closed her eyes.

Kagome sighed. Coming home didn't seem so exciting and relieving anymore.

* * *

The tickle of something soft against his nose and the lightweight and warmth against his chest slowly roused Sesshoumaru from his slumber. He drew whatever he was holding closer, inhaling the sweet scent of strawberries and cream. As he slowly opened his eyes, dark silky hair filled his view. The prince blinked a few times and drew his head back slightly until he realized what position he was in.

Sometime during the night, his arms had managed to wrap themselves around Kagome and pull her against his chest. He withdrew his hands and sat up on one elbow. He leaned over and glanced at Kagome's face.

His eyesbrows rose slightly as he stared at the soft smile on her lips. Her content expression puzzled him. She looked almost like an angel. He raised a hand to touch her face, but he shook his head and held it back. It was a good thing she was fast asleep for if she woke up and saw him studying her, she'd probably go ballistic. If one of her family members came in and saw the two in this position, then that would be a real problem. Not necessarily for him, but for Kagome.

Then, a thought suddenly crossed his mind. A smirk graced his lips as he sat up.

* * *

Sayuri sighed and carried a tray of pancakes, orange juice, and milk in her hands as she walked up the stairs. It was such lovely morning and since it was the crown prince's first morning here, she thought a nice breakfast would be proper. Besides, blue berry pancakes were her specialty.

As she stopped in front of Kagome's door, she shifted the weight of the tray so that she held it all with one hand. She turned the doorknob with her free hand and pushed the door in.

"Good morni--"

For a split moment, her whole body just froze. Then the loud sound the tray crashing to the ground snapped her back to reality before black ness completely took over.

Sesshoumaru immediately sat up and cursed inwardly. "Mother-in-law!"

Kagome groaned and shook the sleep away from her head. She placed a hand on her head and looked around, "What happened? What was that loud cra--"

Kagome's whole body tensed and she realized just exactly what she was using as a pillow. She positioned in a way that her body halfway on top of Sesshoumaru's torso, her chest pressed against his upper stomach and a leg draped over his leg.

It took about 0.5 seconds for a click in her head to tell her to move before she screamed and slapped him across the face.

* * *

**TBC…**

**PLZ REVIEW/b **


	8. Anxiety

**Disclaimer:** I do hereby disclaim any right or responsibilities for the characters used in this story. All rights are reserved for the respective creator of _Inuyasha,_ Rumiko Takahashi.

**Author's Note:** Hello everybody! I'm sooo sorry for not updating since like… NOVEMBER 2006. It's now September 2008. This story's been stagnant for like, two years… I apologize deeply. I was busy with school and I just graduated from high school this past June. I'm not going to college right now and won't be doing so until the spring '09 semester, so I pretty much have a lot of time on my hands.

Anyway, there was a bit of confusion about whether or not Sesshoumaru and his family are demons. No, they are not. They're human in this story and more importantly, the Imperial family. I didn't want to depart from their physical characteristics too much so I opted to keep the silver hair and golden eyes. I can't really picture Sesshoumaru without the white, silvery hair and gold eyes, can you?

_

* * *

_

**Royal Treatment  
By Rikayu**

**Chapter Eight: Anxiety**

Perhaps it didn't seem like such a good idea in the first place. The little prank he pulled had nearly given his new mother-in-law a heart attack. He hadn't intended for that. But although his plan may have gone a bit… off, the intended result of humiliation on Kagome's account worked out just fine. He glanced at the girl who sat next to him and was pleased with the color tinting her face. She'd convinced herself that she was at fault, shifting into that position in her sleep, unbeknownst to her that he had move her.

Kagome's grandfather and mother sat opposite of them in the living room. Her mother was still recovering from shock from the morning's events, while her grandfather didn't seem at all fazed. In fact, he seemed rather happy.

"Maybe it would be better if we added another bed…?" grandfather laughed lightly, looking over at his daughter-in-law teasingly as she took in a long breath.

"That is not necessary," Sesshoumaru said, "We will discuss this and figure out what needs to be done. Do not outdo yourselves just to try and make me comfortable. You have done more than enough."

He looked over at Kagome whose face deepening its already rosy color. Although his little stunt nearly gave his mother-in-law a heart attack, it pleased him to see the embarrassment he caused his wife.

"Okay then, I don't see anything that's left to be fixed. So, if you'll excuse me, I have to see to the shrine." Grandpa Higurashi flashed another smiled and then stood from his chair.

"But father--" Kagome's mother started, but she just sighed and stood up as well.

She turned to the two teenagers. "I'll go fix something to eat." Without another word, she disappeared into the kitchen.

After a few moments passed, Kagome stood up and without even turning to look at him, muttered something about helping her grandfather then quickly ran out the front door. The door slammed behind her and Sesshoumaru was left alone.

He let a sigh escape his lips as he ran his hand through his bangs. He stood and walked over to a bureau that sat against the adjacent wall. Several framed pictures were lined along the bureau as well hung as above it on the wall. The largest one was an old portrait of Kagome and her family in front of the Higurashi Shrine. Sesshoumaru picked it up, running his eyes over it and set it down before picking one up of a young Kagome. She looked around six or so and was holding onto the hand of man he presumed to be her father. Her smile was brilliant and her eyes shined up at him. The prince set it down beside the family portrait and glanced outside the window.

"Sota, don't! I swear I'm going to get you if you do!"

Kagome was outside watering some of the plants with her little brother. As her brother splashed some of the water at the girl, she ran, spraying him with the garden hose is retaliation. Sesshoumaru could hear her laughter.

His hand went up against the glass, a slight frown formed at his lips. This was the first time he saw her smile in what seemed like genuine happiness, and for some reason, it just got on his nerves.

* * *

Kagome bit her lip nervously as she looked out the car window. She fiddled with the hem of her skirt as familiar buildings passed in front of her. Eventually, she'd have to face the inevitable.

"You are tense…"

She turned her head to look at Sesshoumaru who sat on the other side of the backseat. His elbow was propped up against the door as he gazed out at the street with indifference. She leaned towards him, biting her lip.

"What will they say about me? The teachers and my friends? Everyone? What do I do?"

"Nothing." He said as her turned to her. "Act as you normally would. Nothing has changed."

Kagome frowned and looked outside the window just as they pulled next to their school's gate. She'd heard from Kaede that the night she'd been brought to the palace, the engagement had been officially announced in the news. She knew that everyone had heard about it. Her friends were probably furious at her for not even telling them about anything, especially those that had been away at an exchange trip to Korea at the time. Then again, it wasn't like she was given any warning and time to even think about it. She had been taken away to the Imperial Palace so soon and then locked away for two months for etiquette training. During that time, she wasn't even allowed to contact her family.

The car door opened for her and Kagome slowly stepped out. The courtyard was filled with students as usual, but instead of the loud cheering that accompanied the arrival of the princes, there was a dead silence. Suddenly, the autumn air felt a lot colder than it should.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Sesshoumaru was waiting for her a few steps ahead, his bag slinged over his shoulder casually. He seemed to be growing impatient.

'_I can do this… I can do this…'_ One step at a time, and soon she found herself walking through the silent courtyard alongside Sesshoumaru. She could hear people whispering to each other and it unnerved her.

Soon, the courtyard passed and Sesshoumaru and Kagome stood in the middle of an empty hallway. Kagome frowned and looked at the ground. She didn't want to go to class anymore. She looked up and watched as Sesshoumaru was walking away.

"Sesshoumaru…" she called.

He stopped, but didn't face her. "The class bell will ring soon. I will be waiting at the gate after school." With that, he walked the rest of the way down the hall and disappeared into a classroom.

The shrill sound of the class bell rang in her ear just as Kagome turned around. She sighed as she turned and walked down another corridor to her class. The students standing in the hallway were giving her stares but ducked into their classes as she walked past them. After a few more steps, Kagome stood in front of her homeroom's door. Anxiety welled up as she raised her hand to the door knob, but the door opened.

Her teacher stood in front of her and opened the door completely. He gave her a deep bow and a smile that was a bit too cheery. "Hime-sama, welcome back!"

"Please sensei, just call me how you're used to. Just Kagome…"

He scratched the back of his head. "Well, nonetheless, it's good to have you back. Come in, your classmates even cleaned the room for you." He moved aside for her and Kagome timidly walked through the door.

The room suddenly quieted and she stood awkwardly in front of the class. Everyone scrambled to their seats as the teacher stood at his desk. "Class, Kagome-san has finally returned to us. I'm sure you're all very excited to see her again."

Kagome bowed. "Thank you. How have you all been doing? I really missed you--"

As she straightened and flashed a smile at her classmates, suddenly their stares hardened and her smile faded. She looked at some of her friends, but they merely looked away. She felt a pang of pain in her heart.

"Okay, Kagome-san, you may go to your seat now."

She allowed her eyes to trail on the floor as she walked to her desk by the window. She pulled out her chair and sat down. Kagome turned to the brown-haired girl sitting next to her.

"Sango, I'm so glad to see you!" Kagome smiled.

Sango had been her best friend since the start of high school. Unfortunately, she had been one of the students in the exchange program when the announcement of her engagement was made, accompanied by another good friend of theirs, a boy name Miroku who also happened to be sitting at the table in front of them. Apprehensively, Kagome leaned towards her.

"How was Korea? I missed you."

Sango looked back at Kagome silently. "It was ok," she replied quickly before turning away to look at something else.

Kagome wanted to say something, but let her hand fall to her side. She turned her body and saw Inuyasha sitting next to a window in one of the back rows. He stared at her blankly for a moment before shifting his gazed out the window.

A frowned appeared on her face and propped up on elbow, resting her chin on her palm as she stared out the window. Why was everyone so mad at her? It seemed a bit unfair…

* * *

Class was dull and uninteresting.

But as a royal member, academic success was a must. However, Sesshoumaru excelled naturally in his studies and so it was no surprise that he was at the top of his class. Any subject seemed fairly easy, and he found himself often not even paying attention, instead just staring out the window. Yet, he never failed to give a correct answer when called upon in front of the class or to turn in a mistake-less test or exam.

The day, so far, had gone by with congratulatory messages said one after the other from peers and teachers. It was too repetitive, as most things were in school. As was expected of him, he merely gave polite, but short replies. He wouldn't have to endure through more much longer though.

It was almost lunch and it would only be a few more classes after that until he'd be able to go home, or rather, back to Kagome's home. He wasn't quite looking forward to it, but at least being there gave him some form of amusement while class merely bored him to death. The visit wasn't for long, so he might as well make the most of it.

His thoughts then turned to the girl he had married just last week. The picture of her smiling from the previous morning seemed to be ingrained into his mind. It taunted him, annoyed him, angered him almost.

The lunch bell rang and he stood.

* * *

Kagome stood from her chair as everyone else did. She stepped over to stand in front of her friend's desk and placed her hands on the table as she leaned forward. "Hey Sango, let's have lunch. At the bench by that tree we always go to?"

"I'm… going to go eat with Miroku…" Sango replied, not looking at Kagome at all. She stood and grabbed her bag.

"Sango…" Kagome's hopeful expression fell. "Are you mad at me because I didn't tell you or something?"

The girl didn't answer back.

"It all happened so fast. I didn't have the chance… I--"

"Excuse me…" Sango turned and started to walk away.

For a moment, Kagome just stood there, completely shocked. Then she banged her fists on the table. "What's wrong with you guys?! What did I do to make you so angry?! Tell me and I'll stop trying to look like a fool!!"

Why were they all treating her like this without even giving her a chance to explain herself? Everything fell silent around her, but she didn't look up from her fists. Then, there was a soft tap on her shoulder. As she turned around, streamers and confetti showered down at her.

"SURPRISE!"

The now confused girl blinked and saw as all of her classmates all stood in front of her. Miroku and another boy stood in the back on two chairs and held up a colorful banner that said "Congratulations!" Their teacher was holding a cake and Sango stood next to him with her hands clapped together in front of her and a big grin on her face.

"What…? I…" Kagome was dumbfounded.

Sango immediately ran towards her with a hug. "Congratulations, Kagome! How was the show? We practiced that for three days straight! We're all so happy for you!" As she pulled away, Kagome stood there for a moment, just staring at them as they all said their congratulations and other greetings.

"Hey come on Kagome, snap out of it!" she heard Miroku say. "Say something!"

"You… you jerks!" Kagome's eyes stared tearing up and she lifted her hand to wipe them away.

"Oh hey, stop crying, Kagome." Sango said, shaking her friend's shoulder softly.

Miroku stepped down from the chair and gave the banner for someone else to hold. He quickly walked over next to Sango. "Maybe we went too far," he muttered. "Hey, Kagome, stop crying. We're sorry. Why don't you tell us what happened?"

Kagome sniffed and hugged the two. "You guys are jerks. Why would you do this," she laughed weakly. She pulled away and smiled at them and the rest of her class. She bowed and said a thank you as they all came to stand around her.

* * *

"I can't believe you joined them!"

Inuyasha shrugged as he and Kagome walked through the school courtyard. "They asked me to. It's not like I could say no. Apparently, my acting skills are brilliant."

Kagome laughed and looked down at a bag with many cards and gifts. "That was really sweet of them though," she said. "I feel kind of embarrassed."

"Hey Kagome…"

She turned her head to see Inuyasha's face really close to hers. A blushed crept across her cheeks and she stepped back a little. "When are you coming back to the palace?" he asked.

"Umm, a few more weeks," she replied.

"What are you doing? Hurry up and get in." The two of them looked forward to see Sesshoumaru already in the backseat of a black car, his window rolled.

"Oh," Kagome turned to Inuyasha. She quickly walked over to the other side of the car and went in. She waved at him from her seat. "Bye, Inuyasha. See you tomorrow!" she said before the older prince closed the window and the car drove off.

Inuyasha buried his hands in his pockets and sighed before walking over to his own car waiting for him.

* * *

Surprisingly, the coming days were fairly normal. Daily life resumed at the Higurashi household even with the addition of Mikazuki prince. He even helped around the house.

Kagome's mother was often away at the market or somewhere, her grandfather spent all day at the shrine, while Sota busied himself at soccer practice. That left her and Sesshoumaru alone at home for most of the time. It wasn't as awkward as the few times she'd met with him, but still a good amount of it. But there was also another change that Kagome had so strongly tried to ignore.

A few nights ago, she'd woken up in the middle of the night, staring at Sesshoumaru's back. Her face suddenly felt really warm as she looked at the curved of his shoulder blade and the toned physique that peaked out of the tank top he wore to sleep. His silver hair dropped behind him and as she ran her hand through its ends, it felt just like fine silk. Since then, every time she saw his back and his hair swaying behind him, her heart would suddenly beat faster in her chest.

"Is there anything to eat?" a smooth voice came.

Kagome turned her head from the television set to Sesshoumaru who was sitting next to her on the couch. "Is there anything to eat?" he asked again, this time, his golden eyes looking towards her.

She stood and made her way to the kitchen and pulled out a couple of instant ramuen packages. She boiled the noodles in some water and added the seasoning before pouring the meal into two bowls and setting them down on the dining table. Sesshoumaru sat across from her and they ate in silence. He didn't seem to mind the simple food. If Kagome could guess right, the prince almost seemed to enjoy the instant noodles.

"You know," she said as she picked up her chopsticks, "I wish there was a grocery store near the palace. Then we could sneak off and get noodles and snacks all the time."

The prince placed his bowl down in front of him with a small tap. It was empty. _'Wow… that was fast.'_ Kagome looked up at him as he stood.

"Where is the water?" he asked.

She pointed to the refrigerator. "I put it in the freezer because I just filled it up again a while ago."

Sesshoumaru turned and suddenly, Kagome felt her heart thump in her chest. She looked down at her noodles abruptly and busied herself with eating. But when he squatted down to get the water from the bottom freezer, she couldn't help but stare at his back.

Quickly, she shook her head and stood, walking over to the sink with the two empty bowls. She reached for the gloves until another pair of hands grabbed them away.

"I will do them tonight."

"Oh, but are you sure?" Kagome blinked.

Sesshoumaru slipped on the pink dishwashing gloves and grabbed one bowl and the washing sponge. "I do not mind."

Kagome just stood there for a second and stared at him. "What are you still doing there? Did I not tell you that I will wash the dishes?" he said, stopping and turning his head to look at her.

"Oh, right…" she turned to leave, but stopped behind him and looked at his back. She had the strong urge to touch his back and almost unthinkingly, she lifted her hands and pressed them against his back.

She felt his muscles suddenly tense under her touch. He mind snapped back and her eyes widened. _'What the hell am I doing?!'_

* * *

**End Note: **Hmm… this chapter seemed a bit long as I was writing it, but I don't think it is… Well anyway, I hope you all enjoyed it. I think, Sesshoumaru seems a bit mean in this, especially about Kagome's smile. But, it'll all explain itself later. He's not that bad of a person. P

**TBC…**

**PLZ REVIEW**


	9. Flowers

**Disclaimer:** I do hereby disclaim any right or responsibilities for the characters used in this story. All rights are reserved for the respective creator of _Inuyasha,_ Rumiko Takahashi.

**Author's Note:** I'm so happy that I'm getting back into the flow of writing fanfiction. Damn, it really HAS been a long time. Now, I know there have been some comments about Sesshoumaru being a bit out of character. But please keep in mind that I'm trying to blend two different stories together. There are some things that I have to change a little or let go of in favor of other things to try and make the story more plausible and natural. I appreciate the criticism, however. It helps me develop more as a writer. So now, enough chitchat, let's get to the story…

* * *

**Royal Treatment**  
**By Rikayu**

**Chapter Nine: Flowers  
**

What was she going to do now?

Kagome's mind scrambled for a way to get out of this predicament. _'Why, why, why, WHY?? STUPID KAGOME!'_ She watched as the prince slowly turned his head. She gulped. _'Oh no! What do I do?!'_

Ding dong.

A click in her head went off and Kagome lifted her arms off of Sesshoumaru's back. "I'll go get that," she muttered before swiftly turning around and running for the front door. Her hands flew up to her face as she shook her head before pulling door open.

She blinked. "Hojo?"

The brown-haired boy standing on the doorstep flashed Kagome a grin. "H-how are you? It's been a while," Kagome greeted him.

"I'm fine," he said and held out a bento box for her to take. "Here, this if for you. I was just—why are you so red?"

"Oh, ehehe, it's nothing!" she said, waving her hand in front of her face. She looked down at the box and gave him a small smile. "Thank you, Hojo, but you really shouldn't have."

"It's ok. Go ahead, take it." Hojo step forward slightly, urging her to take the bento he brought. "I was just passing by and thought you might be hungry."

Kagome's hands wrapped around the box and she held it in front of her. "Thank you, Hojo."

The boy laughed, "Just looking out for friend." He placed a hand behind his neck and looked at Kagome. "I remember when you just disappeared and didn't come to school. I was going to head over here to drop some medicine because I thought you might just be sick again."

His face dropped a little. "Then I heard the announcement of your engagement and stuff on the news…"

"Oh…"

Hojo let his hand drop, but gave Kagome a smile. The hand he had kept behind his back the entire time was now holding a small bouquet of flowers in front of her. "But anyway," Kagome saw him blush, "I wanted to give these to you as well…"

Kagome took them and let out a soft smile as she brought them to her nose. They smelled beautiful. She lifted her head to thank him but a hand fell on her shoulder. She looked up and saw that Sesshoumaru had come out to stand next to her. He had an icy glare pointed at the boy before them.

"Who is this?" he asked, his eyes going over Hojo.

"This is Hojo", she explained, "He's a good friend of mine."

"Is that so?" The silver-haired prince looked down at the bento box and flowers in Kagome's hands before returning his hard gaze on a now very nervous looking Hojo.

Hojo gave a deep bow. "It is nice to meet you, ouji-sama. I hadn't seen Kagome in a while so I decided to pass by and pay her a visit."

"Hn."

He straightened his tense body. Sesshoumaru was taller than the boy and seemed to tower over him intimidatingly. Hojo fidgeted nervously under the prince's gaze and dared not to look directly at him.

"You were discussing something important? Sesshoumaru asked, his eyes burning down him.

"N-not really," Hojo said, raising his hand to rest behind his neck as he gave a weak and awkward smile, "But—"

"Very well then," the prince said, "Since you have paid a visit like you had mentioned, I see that you have no other purpose remaining here." He leaned forward, his hand never leaving Kagome's shoulder, "You may leave now. The guards will assist you."

Hojo quickly looked through the closing space between the door and the wall. "Oh! Uh, wait!"

The door closed with a click.

* * *

Inuyasha let out a loud yawn as he fell on his bed. He spread his hands out as he looked up at the ceiling. He closed his eyes and his thoughts drifted to what had happened a few weeks ago. He remembered seeing the pained expression on Kagome's face throughout the class' planned antic. He didn't like it one bit. At the time, he hadn't thought it would've had such an affect on the girl. It had gotten to the point where she started crying despite their good intentions.

The prince let out a sigh and sat up, leaning hands on his knees. Kagome and his half-brother were going to be coming back to the palace tomorrow. The whole palace staff was already busy preparing for their return, running around and getting rooms ready, fixing wardrobes, senselessly replacing tapestries again, and other things. It all seemed ridiculous really.

Inuyasha stood and looked out his window, a frown on his face. He wasn't looking forward to the older prince coming home. As much as Inuyasha despised the heightened pestering of the old farts of the Imperial Agency for the last couple of days and that the return of the older prince would take the focus off of him, he and Sesshoumaru didn't exactly see eye to eye. But that was to be expected.

Even when they were younger, they never really got along well. Despite the similarity in the way they looked, the white hair and golden eyes that they had both inherited from their father, they were half-brothers and their differences were clear in their personalities.

Sesshoumaru had spent most of his time with imperial tutors and such because of his duty as heir apparent, and so there never really was close interaction between the two brothers. Whenever he and Sesshoumaru were together, it would be at official gatherings like royal banquets or on rare outings with their father and his mother. But on those outings, the older prince would keep his distance from Inuyasha and his mother, often wandering on his own before their father would look for him.

Inuyasha sighed again. He remembered when he was younger how many of the older members of the imperial officials would give him and his mother looks when they passed. Everywhere in the castle, the servants and attendants would whisper sometimes. But his mother seemed to just ignore it and wear a smile.

He shook his head and threw himself on his bed. Kagome had that same smile sometimes…

* * *

"What the hell is wrong with you?! Why did you do that?!"

Sesshoumaru gave a slight shrug and tilted his head to see the television behind a furious Kagome. His hand reached into a bag of potato chips that he opened earlier and he popped a chip into his mouth.

"He was my friend! Why did you have to act so rude! Some prince you are!!" Kagome placed her hands on her hips, but as the prince continued to ignore her, she turned and pressed the off-button on the TV.

She turned to face Sesshoumaru again, who was now standing and walking towards her. Kagome tensed but she watched slowly as he stood in front of her, his hand reaching behind her to the TV's switch. With that, he turned around and made his way back to the couch, his hair whipping at Kagome as he turned.

Kagome blinked for a second, but her anger returned. "You're such a jerk! I can't believe grandpa agreed to give me away to someone like you! No one deserves to be married to a bastard like you!"

For a moment, Sesshoumaru froze and Kagome took a step back. _'Oh, I think I should've kept my mouth shut…'_ She watched as the silver-haired prince turned slowly, his expression unreadable. He walked back to her, forcing her to look up at him as he towered over her.

"And I suppose that you are no better?" Sesshoumaru leaned down, his face in front of her. "Meeting and accepting gifts from a man who is interested in courting her even though she is clearly married?"

Kagome glared at him and slapped him, but the prince seemed unfazed. He stepped forward, causing her to press back against the wall. Sesshoumaru placed his hand against the wall behind her and leaned down until they were at eye level. His icy stare unnerved Kagome, but she didn't look away.

"I am Sesshoumaru, Crown Prince of the Mikazuki Throne. I will not be dishonored by a scandalous wife," he sneered.

Kagome attempted to slap him again, but he caught her wrist and pressed it against the wall. Anger burned inside her. How dare he judge when he didn't even know her! Kagome opened her mouth to say something but Sesshoumaru stopped her. He brought his lips by her ear and Kagome's breath hitched in her throat.

"I do not particularly like you, but nonetheless, you are married to me. Do not forget that." Sesshoumaru released her and silently made his way up that stairs, leaving Kagome still leaning against the wall, her face red with anger.

* * *

"But why can't I stay here? Why do I have to go back?"

"Shh, Kagome, your grandfather will hear you…" her mother said quietly, running her hand down Kagome's hair. "You know you have to go back, dear."

Kagome shook her head, tears starting to fall down her cheeks. "But I don't want to! I don't want to go back! I want to stay here and live a normal life! I don't want to go back!"

"Oh, Kagome, it's ok," her mother wrapped her arms around the girl and brought her close. Kagome sobbed into her mother's shoulders as her brother hugged the both of them.

"Okaa-san, I don't want Kagome to go…" he said.

"I know Souta, I know. I don't want her to go either…"

Sesshoumaru sat at the top of the stairs, a towel over draped around his neck and his damp bangs clinging slightly to his forehead. His arms rested on his knees and he stared down the stairs. He had just come from a shower and was on his way to go down to get a glass of water. But the sound of voices and someone crying stopped him and he sat down to listen.

Slowly and quietly, the prince pushed himself up and retreated back into the bedroom. He closed the door behind him and sat on the bed, folding his hands behind his neck and then leaning back his head against the wall. _'You sure are doing a great job at this, princey,'_ he heard suddenly from the back of his mind.

A frown appeared on his face and immediately, he closed his eyes and smothered the voice in his head. He opened his eyes and glanced at the suitcases in the corner. They would be leaving tomorrow and returning to the Imperial Palace. Kagome would have to leave her family once again.

He heard a click from the door and he looked as Kagome entered the room. She stepped quietly to her side of the bed and grabbed her pillow. She had already changed into her pajamas, her hair gathered into a loose, off-center bun.

"I'm going to be sleeping in another room with my mom and my brother tonight. Since it's our last night here and all…" Her voice was quiet and she didn't look up as she talked to him. A small frown decorated her face.

Before Sesshoumaru could reply, Kagome was walking towards the door. She grabbed the doorknob and slipped out of the room. After the door clicked closed, her footsteps disappeared. The prince starred at the door for a good second then sighed inwardly.

* * *

**End Note:** sigh Oh the drama… Poor Hojo :P

_**TERMS:**_

_**Ouji-sama - **__prince_

**TBC…**

**PLZ REVIEW**


	10. Progressions

**Disclaimer: **I do hereby disclaim any right or responsibilities for the characters used in this story. All rights are reserved for the respective creator of _Inuyasha,_ Rumiko Takahashi.

* * *

**Royal Treatment**  
**By Rikayu**

**Chapter Ten: Progressions**

"It was indeed an honor to have you stay with us."

Kagome watched as her grandfather, her mother, and her younger brother bowed deeply. Sesshoumaru stood next to her in a grey suit, his silvery hair neatly pulled into a low horsetail. "I apologize for the trouble you went through of having us. We'll visit as much as we are able to."

Kagome was about to say goodbye until an arm went around her shoulders and she was turned around. She looked up to see Sesshoumaru as he was pulling her away and into the car that was waiting for them. The door closed behind her and as the prince sat down on the other side of the backseat, she glared at him.

"Are we ready, sir?" the driver asked.

"No wait!" she called, then she turned to Sesshoumaru. "I want to at least give my family a proper goodbye!"

He didn't looked at her and nodded to the driver. "Let's go," he said pressing a button on the door to pull up the dark, soundproof window between them and the driver.

The car moved forward and Kagome pressed her hands against the window as her family waved goodbye. Tears started to fall down her face as she watched their figures get smaller and smaller.

"Stop acting like a child."

She spun her head to glare the silver-haired prince behind her. His elbow was propped on the door and he was staring at the window as he leaned on his hand.

"You should know that most married women do not live with their parents. You are not alone," he simply said, not turning to look at her.

"Yeah, but most people don't get married when they're only 17!"

His golden eyes focused on her. "The second highest-ranking female in Japan should not be clinging to her family like a three-year-old, crying her eyes out at every little thing that goes wrong. Do you need a bottle? Did they have to sing you to sleep last night?"

Kagome pressed her lips together and let her eyes drop to her hands. "Don't say that", she said quietly then lifted her gaze to him again, "Don't you ever miss your dad? Or your mom?"

Something glazed over Sesshoumaru's eyes before he swiftly turned his head away to look out the window again. "No," he replied firmly.

Kagome sighed inwardly and looked out the window, staring at him from the corner of her eye. The little over a month they had spent stuck to each other certainly didn't break through any barriers. She'd tried her best to at least be friendly with him, but Sesshoumaru had remained frigid and distant, even in arguments. The prince irritated her to no end.

It took only a few more long moments before their car pulled into the Imperial Palace's courtyard. The door opened for Kagome and she stepped out, her eyes immediately turning to the figure emerging out on the other side of the car. The breeze shuffled around Sesshoumaru's hair lightly as he straightened and started to walk away. Kagome vaguely wondered how his hair always seemed so perfect and watched as the prince tugged his suit jacket through his arms.

Kagome found herself staring at his back and a blush slowly crept onto her face. She forced her eyes down and grabbed her handbag from inside the car before letting the guard close the door for her.

"Hurry up. We will be late," Sesshoumaru said, turning his head back slightly before walking forward.

Kagome blinked and ran after the prince, following behind his rather quick strides.

* * *

He grinned inwardly as he brought his tea cup to his lips. His son was always quite cunning, and the boy's mind was always thinking and calculating even as a child. But, of course, no matter how intelligent the prince was, he could never fool his father.

"I am please that you two have finally returned. Your stay there was a pleasant one, I expect?" The emperor turned his eyes to his son, "How did you fare, Sesshoumaru?"

The prince shrugged nonchalantly. "It was different. But it was an experience where I learned many new things."

The older Mikazuki raised an eyebrow, "Oh?" Then he turned his gaze to the girl sitting nervously next to his son. "How about you Kagome, how did you like your visit?"

The girl raised her eyes to look at the emperor across the table. "I'm very grateful that Tenno Heika let me visit my family," then she gave a polite bow and flashed him a small smile, "I really can't express how thankful I am."

The man let out a chuckle. "Perhaps I shall make more arrangements so that you can visit your family more often. I'm sure you wouldn't mind?"

Kagome blinked and leaned forward. "R-really?"

But before her father-in-law could reply, Sesshoumaru's voice immediately cut in. "You forget one thing, Tenno-sama. I am now married."

The prince placed down his empty tea cup. "I may be young, but I am the head of my own household. I will be the one to make decisions on where the crown princess will or will not go."

Kagome turned to look at him, her eyebrows furrowed. The emperor, on the other hand, wore a smirk on his face as the prince hardened his gaze. The older man flicked his eyes to Kagome and then back to Sesshoumaru, and his smirk deepened. He chuckled inwardly. His son was definitely a very interesting individual.

* * *

"What was that about?"

Kagome crossed her arms as she looked at the tall prince in front of her. He was casually leaning back against a table and looking out the window.

"I was not joking," he said plainly, "It will depend from now on how well you perform your imperial duties."

Kagome's lips formed a frown and her eyes dropped their gaze to the ground. "You're not going to let me see my family, are you?"

"You misunderstood."

She looked up and tilted her head slightly. "I am not stopping you," he simply said.

Kagome blinked and just stared at her husband. _'W-what?'_ She walked forward to stand in front of him, her eyebrows furrowed with question, but he didn't look at her. His eyes were trained out and seemed ignorant as the breeze tossed his hair and a lock fell forward.

Without thinking, Kagome's hands reached out and ran through the silver lock of hair. The prince turned his gaze down at the girl. "Have you ever thought of cutting it?" he heard her ask.

"Long hair is a tradition in my family."

"Hmm, well… I think if it was short, it would look good too," Kagome stared at the strands in wonder, playing with them, "But then again, I think I prefer your long hair."

Then Kagome tensed as she realized what she was doing. Immediately, she let go of his hair and quickly staggered to sit next to him on the table. "I, uhh, am just going to sit here, if you don't mind…"

After an awkward moment of silence, Kagome spoke. "You know, I think we should at least be civil with each other. I want to try and get along with you and not fight." She paused and let out a sigh. "And in any case, we may get divorced later anyway, but…"

Kagome's voice trailed off as she caught sight of Sesshoumaru, the orange-gold glow of the sunset washing over his features. He seemed deep in thought as he stared out at the clouds, and Kagome couldn't help but stare. The prince almost looked lonely against the fading colors of the sky. _'I wonder what he's thinking about...'_

The cool breeze blew softly through the open window. Kagome could feel some strands from Sesshoumaru's hair brushing against her face and her fingers itched to run her hands through his silvery white hair again. Her eyes swayed to look at his shoulder and she wondered what it would be like to be able to lean against it like in those romantic movies she and Sango would always go out to watch on the weekends.

Slowly, her eyes closed and the picture of a couple sitting on the grass and watching the sunset floated down into her mind. _'How romantic… I wonder how that would feel like…'_ As her mind continued to wander, Kagome weight shifted and her head began to lean down towards the silver-haired prince's shoulder.

As her head was about to rest on his shoulder, however, Sesshoumaru moved forward and stood from his place. "I am going. I have a few things to attend to," he said.

THUMP.

Immediately, the prince turned and looked with an eyebrow raised as Kagome lay sprawled on top of the table.

"Ahahaha! Isn't the sunset so beautiful? This angle makes the colors pop out so much better, don't you think so? Ahaha!" the girl quickly pointed up and out of the window, a rather nervous grin plastered onto her face.

* * *

"I don't care!"

"But the preparations are already underway."

"Look, I don't even want one, so stop bugging me already!"

Myouga huffed and wagged his finger at the defiant youth standing in front of him. "Inuyasha-sama, you are going whether or not you want to."

"Feh!"

Inuyasha crossed his arms and glared at the old man. Myouga just sighed and walked away, leaving the prince alone in the courtyard. There was no arguing with the emperor's decision anyway.

The prince's lips creased into a deep frown as he leaned back against a tree that was along the edge of the courtyard. In just a few days would be his 17th birthday. Inuyasha didn't particularly care, but his old man wanted to throw some fancy party for him; as if he needed a bunch of cranky old men and vassals walking around and giving him fake smiles and greetings. He'd be happier to spend the day of his birth alone. Well, maybe not alone... It would be nice to spend it with someone.

Then he shook his head furiously as the image of a smiling Kagome flashed in his head. A frown appeared on his face. He shouldn't be thinking of his brother's wife in that way... He really shouldn't be.

* * *

_**End Note**:_ Now, I know that Sesshoumaru should have let her say goodbye. But the the Goong manga, Shin actually did drag Chae Gyoung to the car and just leave like that. Err this was a short chapter, I know. But I just felt that it had to end.

**TERMS:**

**Ouji-sama - **prince  
**Tenno Heika** – His Majesty the Emperor  
**Tenno** – emperor

**TBC…**

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